PTI
New Delhi, Oct 17: Dengue spread showed no decline with one more death on Monday taking the country-wide toll to 103 and reported cases to 5,418 even as the Government released Rs 22 crore to 11 affected states to launch drives to contain the viral disease.
A 22-year-old man, who was brought on Sunday evening to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) from Aligarh, died Monday morning, raising the number of deaths that have taken place in the national capital due to the infection to 36, the highest in the country. With this, the total toll has gone up to 103.
A senior doctor in AIIMS attributed majority of the deaths to delay in extension of proper medical care. "Timely medication and providing a patient with proper treatment is the key to avoid fatalities," he said.
As many as 382 fresh cases of the mosquito-borne disease were reported from across the country since yesterday, including 83 from Delhi and its neighbouring regions, raising the number of those who have been afflicted to 5,418.
The Government has released Rs 22 crore to 11 states under a scheme to contain the outbreak, P L Joshi, Director of National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) told reporters in New Delhi. The money will be utilised for buying fogging machines and larvicide and launching awareness campaigns, he said.
The national capital has witnessed a spurt in dengue deaths with six persons succumbing to the disease in a single day on Saturday.
After Delhi, the maximum deaths have been reported from Maharashtra where 22 people have succumbed to the viral fever and 240 cases have been reported. Kerala, which is also reeling under another mosquito- borne viral disease chikungunya, has reported four dengue deaths and highest number of 794 cases after the national capital region.
The death toll in other states included Uttar Pradesh 11, Rajasthan 10, Karnataka 7, Andhra Pradesh 5, West Bengal 4, Punjab and Gujarat three each and Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh one each.
Joshi said the Government had earlier given funds to various states for awareness campaigns. He, however, did not specify the figures.
Besides Delhi, Kerala and Maharashtra, 697 cases of dengue have been detected in Rajasthan, 443 in Gujarat, 429 in West Bengal, 418 in Uttar Pradesh, 307 in Tamil Nadu, 250 in Punjab, 167 in Haryana, 90 in Karnataka and 35 in Andhra Pradesh. The other affected states include Bihar, Uttaranchal, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
In 1996, when the first major outbreak of dengue occurred, 423 deaths and 10,252 cases were reported from Delhi and its neighbouring states. In another big outbreak in 2003, 215 lost their lives and 12,754 people were affected by the infection.